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In Jul-Aug-Sep 1916 a daughter, Martha Leary, was born to Martin Leary(1877-1958) and Anne Kelly(1878-1954), in Coxtown, Ardrahan, Galway. On 17 Mar 1940, aged 23, she was a Lady's Maid at the Grosvenor House in Park Lane, London W1, and was marrying Douglas Pocknell, a Leading Aircraftsman in the RAF, at  RC Church of Our Lady of the Assumption & St Gregory in Westminster. Only nine months later, on 18 September 1940 she died in the London Blitz, when a bomb fell on Marble Arch subway. This is recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. I have since found her as being buried in a communal civilian war grave in East Finchley (St.Marylebone) Cemetery, with her maiden name as O'Leary on the memorial. Her husband Douglas kept this first marriage secret from his children by his second wife who he married in the last quarter of 1941, but on Douglas's recent death in March 2013, his children going through his papers saw he was down as a widow on their parent's marriage certificate, which came as a shock to them. They asked me to investigate, and I found Martha. If anyone connected to Martha wants to get in touch, please do. If anyone has a photo of Martha, or any record or photo of this marriage, we would love to see it. I am the son of a cousin of Douglas.

Thanks!

Monday 18th Nov 2013, 03:33PM

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  • Hello, I am looking at unanswered queries and thanks for a most interesting story. We do not normally deal with the living unless the local volunteer alerted them privately.

    At this late stage if you are still searching may I suggest you try some of the private Galway Facebook groups dealing in Genealogy, ask to join and off  you go. They are well moderated.

    Good Luck

    Pat

    Pat O Holloran, IrelandXO Volunteer

    Thursday 7th Mar 2024, 11:12PM

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